School Staffing

School staffing description 2018

Groups are typically up to 8 children to 3/4 staff including the lead Conductor-Special Needs Teacher.

Conductor Teachers are qualified as Special Educational Needs Teachers and are graduates of the Peto Institute in Hungary. Although not requirement to teach in a non-maintained special school, they are supported to apply to have their qualification recognised as a Qualified Teacher (QTS) in the UK.

Staffing details:

Head: Conductor-Special Needs Teacher MA PgD in Education & QTS

Teachers: Conductor-Special Needs Teacher with QTS leads each class

The Early Years Specialist is a Conductor-Special Needs Teacher & QTS

and MA in Early Years – Special Needs Specialty.

Support staff :

Teaching Assistant with a BA in disability and education

Teaching Assistants with NNEB and NVQ3, all are trained in relation to understanding all of each child’s needs motor dysfunction and in ‘Total Communication’ practices.

All Assistants participate in the OCN Level 3 Conductor Assistant training programme developed by the National Institute of Conductive Education in Birmingham.

The Head, Gabor Fellner, graduated from the Peto Institute in 1972 and has qualification/accreditation in the following:

Teacher of Biology 1979 – Hungary

Special Needs Qualification 1985 – Hungary

Postgraduate Degree in Education 2002 – New Zealand

Qualified Teacher Status 2004 – UK

Anatomy and Physiology Diploma 2009 – UK

Biological Psychology Diploma 2012 – UK

Tutor/Assessor – OCN level 3, Conductor Assistant Course

Gabor has worked with children that have motor disorder (typically Cerebral Palsy) in many different settings, serving as the Principal at Residential School for children with motor disorders and learning difficulties in Hungary. He introduced Conductive Education to New Zealand in the 1980s and helped establish it in California in the 1990s.

In March 2013 the Head was invited to participate in an international group of experts by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to select the ICF categories for children and young people.

“ICF-CY belongs to the ‘family’ of international classifications developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for application to various aspects of health. The WHO family of international classifications provides a framework to code a wide range of information about health (e.g. diagnosis, functioning and disability, reasons for contact with health services) and uses a standardised common language permitting communication about health and health care across the world in various disciplines and sciences.”

This work was completed during 2014 and the coding finalised and it is now used for tracking the progress of children attending the School.

The training of new conductors, continuing professional development of all school staff and the learning programmes of the school is the Head’s responsibility and he quality assures the programmes through observation and performance related appraisals. He promotes links with staff in other mainstream schools that require advice and guidance when working with children that have physical and learning difficulties.

Conductors completing the BA (Hons) course offered by the National Institute of Conductive Education in Birmingham are offered a placement at the School to receive hands-on training in order to complete their qualification.